Meet AJ Watkins of All Natural Kinks in East LA

Today we’d like to introduce you to AJ Watkins.

AJ, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
My fascination and excitement for hair care started in 2007 during my first year of college. Throughout my childhood, I dreamed of having long, flowing natural hair but the length of my hair did not seem to grow. I refused to believe the myth ‘black girls can’t grow long hair” and was determined to figure out the hair growth formula that worked for my coarse, tightly coiled textured hair. I spent the next nine years experimenting with natural oils, products, styles and hair care regimes to develop a process and formula that would provide hair growth results.

At first, I only used this process on myself, but as my boyfriend (now fiancé) started seeing my dramatic growth results, he was so impressed that he shared it on his social media. His network then began demanding to know where I got these growth products and how they could purchase them. Soon after that, I created a website and started making small batches of the product.

As the demand grew, so did my business. I started off with a single product in November of 2016, and by the end of 2017 I had created the All Natural Kinks full hair product line that is now selling worldwide (countries include Guyana, France, Sweden, Canada, Russia, and Martinique) To this day, each product is still handmade with all-natural ingredients.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I definitely had many struggles along the way, but am thankful I was able to overcome them.

Struggle One: At the time I started my All Natural Kinks haircare line, I was working a full-time corporate job at an IT Consulting firm in Washington, DC. Because this job was taking up most of my time, I could only work on growing my business on nights and weekends. I knew the corporate job was not my passion but was terrified to leave it and commit to All Natural Kinks full time. I feared if I left my cozy corporate job, I would not have the means to support myself financially.

Despite my fear, I still felt in my gut that this was the best time in my life to take a chance on myself because I had not yet started a family and I knew where I wanted to take my business. In September of 2017, I decided to take the leap of faith and go for it. Seventeen days after my boyfriend proposed, we drove 40 hours nonstop to California and I started making things happen with my business.

Struggle Two: Once I moved to California, I struggled financially. Not only did I have to self finance my business, but I had to pay bills each month. I took on numerous side jobs to earn money. These side jobs included retail, warehouse worker, food delivery carrier and an online English teacher for kids in China. With every job worked, time was taken away from the business. Despite the setback, I still pulled through and eventually transitioned to a full-time entrepreneur.

Struggle Three: In running my business full time, I learned life could get lonely as an entrepreneur working alone. Being an extroverted person, it was hard not to interact with people on a regular basis. At times, this lack of interaction would make me sad, lonely and depressed. I quickly realized I needed to find others ways to connect with the people around me. I started doing monthly ladies brunches, taking Krav Maga martial arts classes and making time to hang with friends at least once or twice a week. Doing this consistently helped my well being tremendously. It not only added to my happiness and joy but also increased my energy and productivity level in my work life.

Struggle Four: A personal struggle, that was hard for me to tackle at first, was comparing myself to others. Using social media as the main platform to grow my business, I would often compare myself to other haircare companies and natural hair influencers. This negative competitive thinking always made me feel I wasn’t good enough. I knew this mindset had to change so I started altering the way I used social media. Instead of just scrolling and comparing myself to others, I started using this outlet as a business connection tool. This process opened doors and grew my business.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the All Natural Kinks story. Tell us more about the business.
This is the third year All Natural Kinks has been in business and everyday we continue to grow and expand. With this company, I have been able to turn my insecurities into the driving force for my business. At one point, these insecurities had a hold on my self-esteem. Growing up, I struggled tremendously with growing my coarse, kinky textured hair which ultimately affected my self-confidence. I often felt ugly because my hair was not as long or as ‘pretty’ as the white, Asian and Hispanic girls I grew up with. It wasn’t until college that I began loving and accepting my kinky textured hair once I learned how to properly care for it. Now my hair is past my waist and, through All Natural Kinks, I am able to provide the blueprint for other men and women to reach their hair goal lengths as well.

We have had a variety of different customers all over the world benefiting from our products. These customers include those having trouble with breakage due to dry and brittle hair and those suffering from alopecia and thinning spots. We also provide platforms for our customers to educate them on how to keep their hair, scalp and beard healthy and moisturized.

My company stands out from others because people can relate to my past hair insecurities and I am dedicated to helping them on their journey to long healthy hair. Also, All Natural Kinks is one of the few companies to hand make each product that goes out to customers. So far, I am most proud of our products being featured in ESSENCE twice.

Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
For me, faith and trust in God has played a role in my journey rather than luck. Back in 2016, I was contemplating whether or not I could financially support myself with a business and was scared to take a chance on myself. But I took a leap of faith and trusted in God and he led the way for me to where I am today.

Pricing:

• Growth Oil – Best Seller: $20 – 8oz
• Moisturized Kinks Growth Kit – Starter Pack: $19.95
• Braid/Twist Moisture Mist Spray: $12.50 – 8oz
• All Natural Kinks Hair Growth Sampler Pack: $25
• Beard Growth Oil: $10
• Growth Oil for Locs: $20

Contact Info:

• Website: allnaturalkinks.com
• Email: allnaturalkinks15@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allnaturalkinks
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/allnaturalkinks

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